


Should've kept you close to me

by kittenmichael



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, and things don't end well, but they're very very drunk, crack!drama, hurt!luke, malum pull a prank on luke, of course ashton is there to clean up the mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-03-20 10:42:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3647307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittenmichael/pseuds/kittenmichael
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Ashton needs to pick up his drunk band mates at a party, and how on earth did he just manage to lose their youngest member?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Should've kept you close to me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ryliner](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryliner/gifts).



> so basically this is what i call crack!drama (dunno if anyone has claimed that term before) and it's me being sad and going out of my way to take it out on luke
> 
> more of these fics might follow.

Ashton stumbled into the car, eyes half-closed and a yawn contorting his features. It was late, 3AM to be exact, but he was up and about because he had three bandmates to take care of.

 

He turned on the radio, silently praying the music would keep him awake. Though the club wasn’t too far from their hotel, he insisted on picking them up. From experience he knew that Michael and Calum didn’t stop after three shots, and Luke sometimes let them drag him down with them.

 

But it was okay. He was prepared, had three buckets in the backseat and the painkillers were already sorted out for tomorrow morning. Ashton wasn’t actually mad. He understood that they wanted to let go every once in a while, and more often than not he decided to join them, but tonight he just didn’t feel like it. Besides, it was more than worth getting up early in the morning if it meant all of his friends were safe.

 

So he continued down the crowded Parisian streets, silently cursing the traffic in between the Fall Out Boy lyrics. Despite the many (suicidal) (homicidal?) cabdrivers, he managed to get there quite fast.

 

Upon arriving, he discovered that the club wasn’t exactly a club. It was more like an old abandoned building, with crumbling walls and ivy covering most of the entrance. Nevertheless, it looked pretty cool and Ashton almost regretted not coming with them. There were neon lights everywhere and the music was blaring so loudly it drowned out the car radio.

 

He parked the car as close to the building as possible, starting his quest after double checking it was locked. (Surely the rental company wouldn’t be too happy finding out their precious Volvo had been used to pick up drunk people.) There was no bouncer, probably because a lot of people had already left, so he had no trouble getting in.

 

A smile curled his lips when he entered, his eye immediately caught by the boy on top of one of the tables. Calum was never hard to spot. That boy thrived off attention and had no trouble fascinating people, especially when drunk. It was no surprise finding him surrounded by a crowd made up of both girls and boys. The crowd was cheering loudly, encouraging him to down the shots they handed him. He drank them without complaining, never one to say no to free liquor. Ashton almost felt guilty interrupting him. (He did not, in the end. In fact, he was pretty sure Calum would be thanking him when he had his head down the toilet the next morning.)

 

“Calum, time to go.” It was difficult to be heard over the loud music, but after a few years of practice he had mastered the art. Calum spotted him immediately, grinning widely at the sight of his friend.

 

“Ashton, my friend! Have you come to join us?” His words were slurred, but as aforementioned, Ashton had some experience. The sudden turn of his head had Calum stumbling though and Ashton sped forward to support him before he tumbled off the table (wouldn’t be the first time).

 

“You know better than that, Cal. It’s time to go home.”

 

The crowd booed, before Calum sent them a glare. Though he was obviously pouting, he did nothing to stop Ashton from dragging him away. Ashton slung his arm over his shoulder, so he was half-carrying Calum. It weighed him down a little, and he cursed his friends for being over 6 feet tall.

 

“Thanks, Ashy. So nice.” Calum was stroking Ashton’s cheek, startling a giggle out of him. He would blame the younger boy’s affection on the alcohol, but he was like that most of the time.

 

“You’re welcome. Now stay here, okay?”

 

He dropped him in the backseat and handed him a bucket. Calum nodded silently, grabbing the plastic bucket like a life line. His eyes were already half closed, his features softening until his famous party-animal smirk had disappeared.

 

“If you get any puke on this car, you’re paying for it, okay?” Ashton was fighting off a grin, endeared by his band mate’s pout and the way he snuggled up in the backseat. In all honesty, he was convinced Calum was the only one who could cuddle with a bucket he was about to puke in and still look adorable.

 

After closing the door, he locked the car. It was dark outside, the stars barely visible because of the tall buildings and the clouds that hovered over him. Though he wasn’t in the city centre anymore, everything was still mostly bricks and concrete. He felt a little guilty leaving Calum in the car without light, but he figured the boy was probably too drunk to notice anyway.

 

He entered the building once again, standing on to tip of his toes to let his gaze roam the room. Michael was a little more difficult to spot than Calum, known for his mood swings and strange cocktail of stubbornness and unpredictability. But at least he had blue hair.

He didn’t seem to be at the bar, so Ashton decided to explore the dance floor. With his lips pressed into a tight-line, he moved through the crowd, keeping his hands to himself to avoid any trouble. His heart skipped a beat when he spotted his bandmate, a blue mess sticking out above everything else, because standing sober on a dance floor wasn’t all too enjoyable. He felt hands grazing his bum, fingernails ghosting down his back. He grabbed Michael by the collar, dragging him away before the hands got replaced by lips.

 

“Hey! What’re you doing?” Michael’s words were just as slurred as Calum’s. He stumbled behind Ashton, the general idea of putting one foot in front of the other clearly a little confusing to him. After having Michael on his knees for the third time, he gave up and slung his arm around his shoulder. His back was going to be a bitch the next morning, because hours in the gym are useless if the angle is wrong.

 

“Taking you home,” Michael groaned, but nuzzled his head in Ashton’s neck. His nose felt warm against his cold skin, offering much wanted heat. It was rather cold outside, what with the soon-to-be storm and Ashton not wearing a decent jacket.

 

“Calum is already in the car.” The weight on Ashton’s shoulder seemed to perk up at the thought of that. “Go cuddle with him, alright? I’ll be back in a second.”

 

He opened the door and helped Michael inside, careful to avoid Calum, who was already sound asleep. Michael poked his cheeks, intent on waking him up.

 

“Cal,” he whispered, liquor-stained lips awfully close to Calum’s ear, “Cally-pal.”

 

He quickly slammed the door shut, just in case Calum decided to throw a tantrum at being woken up. The two of them were drunk out of their minds. Ashton was actually kind of surprised they had even recognised him.

 

A gush of wind caught him before he made it inside, and he sped up his pace. All he wanted was to crawl back into bed, but he would never leave without Luke.

 

Luke was often the hardest one to find, because he never hung out at one spot for too long. With his long legs and blond hair it should have been easy to spot him, but after five minutes of looking around, he still hadn’t found the boy. Ashton didn’t mind that much though. At least he wasn’t with Michael and Calum. If that was the case, he probably would have been throwing up before the night was over. Ashton preferred him on his own, hidden away from the group pressure.

 

The only place Ashton hadn’t checked yet was the bathroom, a spot Ashton usually avoided. Everyone knew bathrooms at parties were gross, so he doubted Luke would be there. Nevertheless, he fought his way through the crowd once again, paying extra attention to the people surrounding him in case he’d bump into Luke.

 

Unfortunately he still had no luck by the time he was standing in front of the opened bathroom door. He walked in, his steps hesitant yet big, as if that would shorten his search. He covered his eyes with his hand, peeking through his fingers to protect himself from what he might see. There was a couple having sex on the wash-basin and a man taking a dump in one of the loos, but there was no sight of Luke.

 

Now Ashton was kind of starting to panic. Sure, Luke was usually the last one he carried to the car, but it was never this bad. He felt his heart pound in his chest, outdoing the heavy thump of the bass and sending black spots across his vision. His fingers curled into fists by his sides. He all but ran out of the club. The many strangers felt bad now. He almost punched a girl in the face who groped his bum.

 

The humid air hit him like a brick wall when he finally found his way outside. The sky was glaring down at him, telling him he was running out of time before the rain would start cascading down the sky. He ran to the car.

 

“Michael? Michael, Calum, where is Luke?”

 

He shook his sleepy friends, their dizziness and drunkenness forgotten entirely. They giggled when they noticed him, both of them all sloppy smiles and tired cuddles.

 

“Lukey?” Michael slurred, distracted by the hand Calum had wrapped around his waist.

 

“Yes, him! Our fourth band member! Without whom we can’t be a band. Ring a bell?”

 

Calum burst out in laughter, wheezing into Michael’s neck. Ashton definitely regretted not coming now.

 

“Luke? You’ll never, you’ll never guess what we did, Ash.” Michael’s voice was all jokes and giggles as if Luke being gone was the funniest thing in the world. “Best prank ever! So funny.”

 

“So hilarious,” Calum echoed. Ashton was this close to punching them both in the face.

“Just tell me where he is, okay? We need to go home.”

 

Michael giggled again, before grabbing Ashton’s collar. He pulled him closer until his lips were a mere two inches away from his ear. Ashton could feel his breath.

 

“In the catacombs.”

 

He then pulled away, doubling over in laughter as if it was the most hilarious thing he had said all day. Calum soon joined him, their bubbling laughter the only sound in the dark of the night. Ashton didn’t.

 

“Michael, this isn’t funny. Tell me where he is.”

 

“Like I said!” The boy exclaimed in between hiccups. “In the catacombs! Some dude’s we met knew a way in. It was so ratchet.”

 

Ashton felt his heart stop.

 

Luke, the boy who often spent a night in Ashton's bunk because the shadows on the wall made him uncomfortable, in the catacombs. Ashton was meant to keep him safe. Something he’d promised Liz, Luke, promised Michael and Calum, for god’s sake. Luke, who cried that one time they all pushed him in the shower. Luke, who counted on him.

 

Ashton thought he was going to throw up.

 

“You, come with me. You’re showing me where the entrance is. And if the two of you are joking, my god, I will leave you here. In fact, I think I’ll leave you here either way.”

 

He grabbed Calum’s arm and dragged him out of the car. Michael was already dozing off, seemingly immune to Ashton’s obvious anger. Calum, however, flinched when Ashton touched him.

 

“It’s meant to be funny, Ash,” he whispered. “Why aren’t you laughing?” Calum’s pout felt like a slap in the face. The two of them genuinely thought they had done something funny. A harmless prank to spice up their tour. Ashton was never letting them go out alone again.

 

“Because it’s not fucking funny, you asshole. Show me where it is.”

 

Calum’s weight dragged him down, especially now he was curling up. His eyes were fixated on the dirty pavement. At least he had the decency to look sorry.

 

“It’s behind the club,” he muttered. “A little further down the alleyway.”

 

Ashton didn’t reply, he simply continued walking, navigating them both back to the club. The sky was clearly mocking him now, its drizzle blowing hard in his face. He was fuming with rage. His fingers were curled around Calum’s arm in an iron grip, unwilling to let go. He wasn’t sure yet how he was going to get all of three of them back to the car.

 

The image of Luke kept haunting him. He must be so scared, cold and alone.

 

“Wait a second,” he almost stopped dead in his track, but he couldn’t. Every second they spent stalling would feel like an hour to Luke. Ashton cursed the Parisian traffic and Calum and Michael’s antics and how long it had taken him to find his shoes before coming to get them. “Is he drunk?”

 

Calum shrugged, a gesture that made Ashton’s fists itch. “A little.”

 

“When did you do it?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“Just tell me how you did it, okay?”

 

Calum seemed annoyed by all the questions, but Ashton couldn’t care less. His mind was stuck on how on earth it seemed like a good idea to push someone in a network of ancient tunnels that people used as a cemetery.

 

“I don’t know, man,” Calum sighed. “Like, we heard this dude talking about it. And then, you know, we asked him to, like, show us. And he and his friends did. And then we found Lukey and Michael still had to get back at him, so we decided to put him in the tunnel.”

 

“How on earth does that even makes sense?” Ashton yelled. He was sick of the stupid, weak-ass rain that wasn’t even proper rain and having to drag a heavy teenage boy along that he didn’t really want to be near at the moment.

 

“It was funny, okay?”

 

“It was- It was fucking funny?!”

 

“I guess you had to be there!’

 

Ashton did stop this time. He pushed Calum against the wall, ignoring his flinching, and lifted him up by the collar. With his mouth dangerously close, he spat in his face: “If you say it was funny one more time, I will leave you here. Do you understand me? I will drop you here, alone, in the cold, and you can find your way home by yourself. Understood?”

 

Calum nodded shakily. Ashton still wanted to punch him in the face. He didn’t, though. He had decided to wait. Tomorrow morning, when both of he and Michael had a killer headache and Luke was wrapped up in blankets on the couch, he was going to punch both of them. Repeatedly. Perhaps that, combined with the guilt of possibly traumatising their best friend would kick some sense into them. If not, Ashton was going to have to keep punching.

 

He put Calum down and started walking again. They were nearing the club, the loud music already audible from where they were. Calum was silent beside him.

 

The lights were a lot brighter now, with them at the entrance of the old house.

 

“Show me,” Ashton demanded, and Calum led the way.

 

As it turned out, the entrance was hidden in the backyard of the house, near the drainage-canal. Calum guided him into a small wooden cabin with rotting walls and the webs of spiders that threatened to fall on them. It was closed, but only barely, and its stench was overwhelming. Ashton almost puked. Calum did.

 

Ashton left his band member on the floor, his usual care for him when in such a state long forgotten. After one last gasp for air, he pushed the piece of wood covering the entrance away. Underneath him was a deep pit, seemingly endless without any light.

 

“Luke?” His voice echoed in the darkness, but he got no response. After turning on the flashlight on his phone, he discovered there was actually a thin, iron ladder. Maybe Luke wasn’t in there. Maybe he’d climbed out and was now crying somewhere a few streets away.

 

Ashton backed up and crawled back to where Calum was throwing up. He grabbed his collar.

 

“You. If I’m not up here within the next hour, call the police.” He reached in Calum’s to hand him his phone. “See?” He asked, after lighting up the screen. “If this says 5. You call 112, okay?”

 

Calum nodded vigorously, glad to get the chance to win Ashton back.

 

“I promise,” he whispered. “Now go get Lukey.” He weakly pushed Ashton away with his hands, turning his head to empty his stomach once again.

 

The darkness of the tunnel seemed taunting, but Ashton crawled closer nevertheless. He was getting used to the smell, so he could use one hand to hold his phone and climb down the ladder with the other.

 

His moves were sloppy and hurried, causing him to slip a few times. In the end, it took him three minutes to reach the bottom of the pit. The light of the ground floor was faintly hovering over him.

 

“Luke?” He tried again, as he started walking down the tunnel. There was water soaking his shoes, the splashing echoing along with his voice. There was no reply.

 

The tunnel was thin, the walls old and crumbling. He was afraid to touch them.

 

“Luke? Lukey, are you out there?”

 

It was way colder down here, a breeze that came out of nowhere sending chills down his spine. He sped up his pace, going from walking to running until the tunnel split in two. He glanced from left to right. Both tunnels seemed just as dark.

 

“Luke?” He called again. “Lukey, please.” His voice echoed ominously, the sound sending shivers down his spine. He hated it down here. The thought of what might be lurking behind the corner terrified him, and he felt like he could smell death everywhere, even though the skeletons were still miles away from him.

 

“Ashton?” It sounded weak and Ashton almost missed it, but it was there. Luke was there.

 

“Luke? Lukey? Oh god, is that you?” Ashton felt his knees get weak, the confirmation that Luke was actually here both terrifying and reassuring.

 

“Yes! Please, please help me.” Fear was evident in Luke’s voice, mixed in with his hopeless pleas and the stutter Ashton thought he had lost years ago. “Please come and get me, Ash.”

 

It broke Ashton’s heart.

 

“I can’t, okay? I can’t come to you, Luke. But I promise that I will get you out of here.”

 

Luke screamed then. Loud and frustrated and terrified. Ashton almost ran towards the sound of his voice, but he couldn’t. If he did, they’d both get lost.

 

“Please, Luke, I need you to listen to me, okay? Listen to where the sound comes from. You’ll find me like that.”

 

“Okay,” Luke seemed reluctant, but Ashton could hear him shuffling in the distance. He must have ran into the left tunnel, he figured. “Please just, please don’t stop talking. Okay?”

 

“I won’t, Lukey. I promise. Just keep going. I’m right here with you. Once you find me, I’ll get you out, okay? I’ll help you climb up the ladder, I’ll help you to the car. I don’t know about Calum though, that dude’ll just have to crawl or something. Once we get home you can take a nice shower, alright? Are you up for that?”

 

Ashton was shivering by now, all body warmth stolen by the cold water at his feet. It reached half way his calves and he couldn’t wait to get out of here.

 

“Yes,” Luke sounded so much closer now. Ashton could tell he was crying, his ragged breathing and sniffling disappearing in the empty tunnels. Despite their distance, he could make out that his pace was uneven. For god’s sake, Luke was limping. No wonder he hadn’t been able to climb up. “I’m so scared, Ash.”

 

Ashton swallowed thickly.

 

“I know you are, Luke. It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay. Just keep walking for me, love. You’ll do that for me, won’t you? Then when we get to the hotel I’ll make you some hot chocolate. We can cuddle in my bed together, or I’ll sing for you.”

 

He waited and waited, until the splashing finally got closer. His phone shook in his trembling hands, the light flickering on the walls. Ashton felt something wet and freezing and desperate.

 

“Ashton, Ashton!”

 

Luke felt cold in his embrace, his numb fingers nestled in Ashton’s curls and his nose nuzzled in Ashton’s neck. Shivers ran down Ashton’s spine, both good and bad ones. Luke was in his arms, alive.

 

“Oh god, I was so, I was so scared, Ashy.”

 

Ashton snaked his arms around his waist, holding him up so Luke would finally stop whimpering.

 

“C’mon, let’s get out of here. Are you hurt?”

 

It was difficult to keep his phone in his hands, and he didn’t know which way to shine. Should he grant Luke the light, or should he cast it his way, so he could see what was in front of him?

 

“I can barely feel anything, Ash. But it hurts, it hurts to walk.”

 

It felt comforting, hearing Luke’s voice close by. Ashton didn’t think he was going to let Luke out of his sight any time soon.

 

“I’ll carry you.”

 

“Ash-“

 

“No, come here.” He let go of Luke and pried the boy’s arms away. “I don’t want you walking any further, okay? We’re not exactly close to the exit yet.” Luke whimpered at that, going limp when Ashton lifted him up. Luke wrapped his legs around Ashton’s hips and his arms around his neck.

 

Ashton rubbed Luke’s back while he walked, having difficulty making his way through the freezing water with the added weight. It took him at least another ten minutes to get to the exit.

 

When they finally made it there, Ashton was exhausted. His muscles were aching and his head was spinning, but he couldn’t give up yet.

 

“Hold tight, okay? I’m going to try to climb up the ladder.”

 

Luke nodded against his shoulder, sobs still shaking his entire body. It seemed so much worse now Ashton could actually feel them against his skin.

 

He hesitantly rest his foot on one of the metal bars, terrified he’d slip and hurt both of them. His knees were shaking, weak and tired after walking so far. The metal felt cold, even colder than Luke, and he winced when touching it.

 

He climbed on the next bar, his knuckles white because of his tight grasp. The climb was a blur, a mess of trembling hands, aching joints, and Luke’s muffled sobs.

 

“We’re almost there,” he panted. “Can you see it?”

 

The light was coming closer, comforting and faint above them. Only a few more bars before he would be able to breathe properly again. Luke gasped beside him, tightening his grip on Ashton.

 

Ashton could already feel the warmth, hear the noise of the party, feel the raindrops on his skin, and then-

 

They made it.  

 

No more than a few seconds later he was gasping for air, the feeling of wood on his cheek, and Luke’s weight heavy on top of him. Calum was yelling in his ear.

 

“Ashton, Ashton! I’m so sorry! Oh Luke, oh Luke!” Calum was still drunk out of his mind, but after seeing the youngest band member, he apparently had a change of heart. Luke ignored him.

 

Ashton crawled a little further, wanting to see Luke with his own eyes, illuminated by more than the flashlight of his phone. He rolled Luke off of his back, careful not to hurt him. It was still too dark for his liking, the moonlight blocked out by the wooden walls.

 

“Let’s get you outside, okay?”

 

Luke nodded weakly. He was still clinging to Ashton, his hands fisting his shirt. A whimper escaped his lips when Ashton lifted him up and carried him outside.

 

There still wasn’t enough light in the garden, so he carried Luke to the car before the fatigue could kick in again. Calum stumbled behind him, grasping the wall for support. He moved a lot slower than Ashton did, but Ashton was too occupied with calming Luke to care.

 

The rain was now crashing down on them relentlessly, the storm the sky had promised him finally making an appearance. Above them, lightning accompanied the thunder.

 

Calum whimpered, never a big fan of storms. Under normal circumstances Ashton would have held him close, reminding him of all the bad-ass Australian storms they had survived together, but now he couldn’t care less.

 

The rain drops were soaking his jacket and his jeans, sending the cold gnawing at his bones. He couldn’t have been more grateful when they reached the car.

 

Michael was half-asleep, seemingly having forgotten about the whole ordeal. Ashton unlocked the front door and set Luke down in the passenger seat. He shoved Calum in the backseat and handed him a bucket.

 

A loud sigh filled the car when he let himself fall in the front seat. He rested his head in his hands, closing his eyes momentarily. Beside him, Luke was still whimpering, he could hear it, loud and uncomfortable in the silence of the car. Ashton doubted he was going to let his band party ever again.

 

“Come on, Luke. Let’s take a look at you. Can you show me where it hurts?”

 

He straightened his back, gathering some courage before finally looking beside him. He flicked on the little light on the ceiling.

 

Luke snapped his eyes shut, hurt by the bright light. Ashton didn’t want to guess how long he had been down there.

 

He inspected Luke’s exterior, immediately spotting the tear tracks and the swollen, blue lips. His clothes were dishevelled, wet with rain and mud. The YOU COMPLETE MEss looked pathetic. His shirt wasn’t ruined beyond repair, but Ashton doubted Luke would ever want to wear it again. There were bruises running up his arms, and his knees were scraped, sending blood pouring down his black jeans.

 

“May I?” Ashton whispered, pointing towards his ankles. Once Luke had nodded, he reached out hesitantly. His ankle was swollen and it looked bruised in the bright light. Luke whimpered when he touched it.

 

“I think that might be sprained.” He said it softly, as if that would make it better. They couldn’t afford their lead singer being injured. This was an incident that couldn’t see the light of day, and they all knew it.

 

“It’s okay,” Luke whispered. “I’ll be fine.”

 

Ashton shook his head. “I’m putting some ice on it. When you’ve calmed down I’m taking you to doctor’s. We’ll make something up. You’re clumsy. You fell.”

 

He brushed the wet hair out of Luke’s eyes, admiring the pretty blue. Everything about Luke was so blue tonight.

 

“Everything will be okay.” He pressed a kiss to his temple. “I promise.”

 

Luke sucked in a breath, and Ashton started the car. Michael and Calum were quiet in the background, sleeping off the intoxication. Luke was a little drunk too, Ashton could tell.

 

They drove to the hotel in silence, the Fall Out Boy CD on pause. Luke’s eyes flickered to where Uma Thurman was blinking on the small screen, but he did nothing to change it.

 

“Michael, Calum, you need to get up. We’re here.”

 

Ashton called out after pulling up at the hotel’s parking lot. His band mates were still asleep, Calum’s head tucked tightly underneath Michael’s chin and their limbs entwined.

 

“You can help us up one by one,” Luke whispered, and it seemed like that was all he did now. Ashton shook his head. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

 

Once Calum and Michael had shown a sign of life, he climbed out of the car and walked to the passenger side. He unbuckled Luke, wincing when Luke whimpered after he’d brushed against one of his bruises. His arms were still aching, the muscles tired and strained, but he lifted Luke up nevertheless.

 

“Come on, let’s go.”

 

He slammed the door shut, waiting for Calum and Michael to follow him. They stumbled out of the car, half holding each other up and half pushing each other down. Ashton made his way to the elevator and didn’t look back.

 

They made it, eventually. Ashton had already laid Luke down on the couch and opened a WikiHow-page explaining how to help someone with a sprained ankle. He was about to call room service to bring them an icepack when his two drunk band mates stumbled inside.

 

Calum immediately headed for where Luke was laying down, his face contorted with sadness.

 

“I’m so sorry, Luke. It was meant to be funny,” he muttered, and Luke scowled. It was only now that Michael seemed to notice Luke. He looked up, watching the scene in front of him.

“Luke?” He whispered, his eyes wide open. Ashton kept an eye on them while he was on the phone, ready to jump in if necessary.

 

“Lukey, are you hurt?” His voice broke half-way the sentence, going higher than it should. “Did we cause that?” He dropped to his knees in front of the couch, his eyes now just as wet as Calum’s. Luke nodded weakly.

 

It was enough to break the dam. Tears streamed down Michael’s face, ugly and big, and staining the red carpet.

 

Great, now Ashton was stuck with three crying boys.

 

“Hey, Calum, why don’t you go to bed? You too, Michael.” He gently nudged them, guiding them away from where Luke was desperately trying to control his breathing. Both boys pouted, but were smart enough not to argue. Ashton pressed a quick kiss to their forehead, knowing how they got when adrenaline faded into fatigue.

 

A tired staff member brought up the icepack, and Ashton sent Luke into the shower, making sure he could sit down.

 

Ashton sank down on the couch, his head resting in his hands. His head was throbbing, pain caused by the adrenaline disappearing and the worry sticking around. He didn’t like how silent Luke was, and though he definitely didn’t mind Luke clinging to him, the reason why bugged him.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the silence the night brought. The only sounds that could be heard were those of Calum and Michael’s bedsheets rustling and the steady stream of the shower. Dozing off wasn’t part of his plan, of the control over the situation that he seemed to have lost once Luke get stuck in an underground graveyard, but he couldn’t help it.

 

“Ash?”

 

Luke’s hand shaking his shoulder eventually woke him up. He opened his eyes, trying in vain to blink the sleep away.

 

“I’m done,” Luke whispered, and Ashton nodded. Luke was standing in front of the couch, awkwardly leaning on one foot.

 

“Come sit down, I’ll tie the ice around your ankle. Then let’s get you to bed, yeah?”

 

Ashton stood up, hands shaking when he pressed the ice pack against the purple skin. Though his eyes were falling shut and his body was threatening to collapse, he would never forget the sight in front of him. Luke looked small and hurt the way he was curled up on the couch. He had stretched his ankle in front of him, wincing when Ashton touched it. His hair lay flat on his forehead and his cheeks still looked blotchy, even though the tears had long stopped coming.

 

“There, all done,” Ashton whispered. “Just let me get some Band-Aids, alright?”

 

He gave Luke a quick kiss on the forehead, before heading towards the room he shared with Calum. The lights were already dimmed, so he had to stumble his way over to his suitcase. He had no trouble finding his first-aid kid though, thanks to his reckless band members.

 

“Ash?”

 

His hand was already resting on the doorknob when Calum called his name. He turned around with a sigh, spotting the younger boy’s face in the half-dark.

 

“What is it, Cal?”

 

Calum was silent for a moment, and Ashton thought he had fallen asleep.

 

“Are you still mad at me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Calum whimpered, but he didn’t complain. Ashton could still spot the intoxication in the way his words sounded, all slurred and jumbled and pouty now that it was mixed with fatigue.

 

“Will, will you tell Lukey I’m sorry?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Another silence took over.

 

“Will you kiss me goodnight?”

 

This time, Ashton couldn’t get himself to hide the irritation in his voice.

 

“I already kissed you goodnight, Calum.”

 

“Do it again?”

 

With a sigh, Ashton turned in his heels. He strode to the bed with an excessive amount of eye-rolling, something that almost sent him straight into the closet. But when he kneeled down next to Calum’s bed, he noticed the tear-tracks on his friend’s face.

 

“Good night, Cal,” he whispered, as he pressed a long kiss on Calum’s cheek. It tasted salty.

 

“Night, Ash.”

 

Once he saw that Calum seemed content, he stood up and left the room. He was surprised to see that Luke was still awake.

 

“This is gonna sting a little bit,” Ashton warned him, before dabbing the scrapes with disinfection. He had lost count of how many times he had said that since he joined this damned band. But regardless of how many times Luke had heard that very same sentence, he still winced at the burning. Ashton wrote something on the Band-Aids before putting them on Luke’s knees.

 

He chuckled when he caught Luke bending his legs at awkward angles to see what it said.

 

“It says Ashton ♥ Lukey,” he said.

 

“That’s not very punk rock,” Luke complained, but Ashton would’ve had to be blind to miss the fond smile tugging at the corners of Luke’s mouth.

 

“I know, that’s why I drew an upside down X on the other one.”

 

Luke laughed this time, and even though it sounded hoarse and small, Ashton wanted to put it on repeat for the rest of his live.

 

“Time for bed now, okay?”

 

He leaned forward to pick Luke up, but Luke grabbed his arm to stop him.

 

“Will you stay with me tonight, Ashton?”

 

“Of course, Luke. Your bed or mine?”

 

“Yours.”

 

Ashton chose not to think about Luke wanting to fall asleep next to him, surrounded by blankets that carried his smell. This time, Luke didn’t stop him when he lifted him up. He went limp in his arms, not moving until Ashton put him down on the duvets. Ashton threw a glance at Calum’s bed, sighing in relief when he noticed the boy was sound asleep.

 

He crawled under the covers, leaving a few inches between their bodies. They then exchanged good night’s, exhausted yet sincere. His eyes closed before he could even finish the second word.

 

“Ash?”

 

He would’ve ignored it, would’ve pretended to be asleep, had it been anyone else. But it wasn’t. It was Luke, and his voice was lacking all reluctance when he responded.

 

“Yeah, Lukey?”

 

Ashton held his breath, preparing himself for a dreadful silence or words that required just that to be heard. What came instead was much more painful.

 

He could hear Luke’s erratic breathing, the forebode of the tears that would soon soak Ashton’s pillow. Luke’s trembling could be felt all the way on the other side of the inches separating them, where Ashton was listening anxiously.

 

“It’s okay, love. You can tell me.”

That’s when Luke burst out in tears. His hands searched for Ashton’s in the dark, fingers clammy with fear and his grip too tight with desperateness.

 

“I’m so afraid, Ashton,” he whimpered. “It was so scary. They just, they just pushed me in there, and my ankle hurt, and everything hurt, and why would they do that? Ashy, it was so dark in there. I couldn’t see anything, not even myself, but I could hear things. There were spiders, I could feel them running up my legs, and it wasn’t the wind, Ashton, it wasn’t the wind that made those horrible sounds. So I ran, I just ran, and it hurt so much. It hurt, everything hurt, and it was so cold, Ash.”

 

Luke was raising his voice, his terrified whines disturbing the silence of the night. Ashton didn’t like it.

 

“It was horrible, and I’m still so cold, Ashton. It won’t go away, and my ankle hurts, and my knees and everything does. I-“

 

So he kissed him.

 

Ashton’s lips caught Luke’s in the dark, and Ashton was sure that was where all his luck had gone. Straight into making sure Ashton’s lips fit perfectly against Luke’s. Neither of them moved at first. The silence had returned.

 

Ashton pulled back.

 

“You’re safe now, Luke. You’re safe with me.”

 

“Promise?”

 

Ashton would have rolled his eyes, if only Luke hadn’t sounded so unsure.

 

“Promise,” he whispered, a sincere reminder breathed into the corner of Luke’s mouth, because this time, he had missed Luke’s lips.

 

He tried again, a little more forceful this time. Their mouths moved together, a harsh harmony Ashton worshipped in the middle of the night. His hands found Luke’s wet hair, relishing in the way they slipped off when he pulled too hard. Luke’s fingers dug into his chest, and Ashton could feel his lips tremble against his own.

 

He pulled back then. Luke whimpered.

 

“You really need to sleep, sweetheart.”

 

He pressed Luke closer, getting rid of the useless inches and entwining their legs. He even let Luke press his cold feet against his calves. Luke’s chin was resting on his shoulder, so Ashton could feel his chest move against his own when he spoke.

 

“Night, Ash.”

 

He granted him one last kiss. Luke shivered in his embrace.

 

“Night, Lukey.”

 

*

 

(And if Michael and Calum woke up to a punch in the face the next morning, they deserved it.)

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> dedicated to joshua coz he has a pretty name and we're a squad (ay)
> 
> this was 4 pages shorter at first but he demanded kisses


End file.
